First-year students are still failing at an alarming rate. This is an international issue that universities face and there is currently no clear indication of the cause of the problem as universities move from being elite to providing mass education. This article examines the possible correlation between students' high school performance and…

Peer nomination (the practice of student selection of the outstanding students in each class) is suggested as the best criterion for identifying which medical students are likely to become the best overall physicians. A study comparing admissions information for award finalists and their classmates is described. (Author/MLW)

Ireland's computerized, national system of university admission, which assigns all students to institutions simultaneously, and Britain's system using a single set of admissions forms and centrally coordinated admissions, suggest that centralization can be an efficient and cost-effective method of linking students with colleges in the United…

Studies of the predictive validity of the Dental Admission Test have been reported, but none suggest how an admissions committee should assess the scores of applicants who take the test twice. Improvement on the test scores might compromise their utility for purposes of student selection. (Author/MLW)

Media ranking of colleges is often superficial and only further confuses families and prospective students. In addition, some colleges are excluding students to present a "selective" profile. Rationality in admissions can return, when parents and students become knowledgeable about the process, counselors interpret changes, and colleges give…

Differences among college types and among selectivity levels that may affect women's career aspirations were studied. Graduates of six women's colleges and nine coeducational colleges were compared for three levels of admission selectivity in relation to level of the organizational ladder being pursued, innovativeness of chosen career, and plans…

A study is reported that compared a group of 24 applicants who were interviewed and accepted at the Yale University School of Medicine but went to other medical schools with a group who attended the same schools but had been rejected at Yale following an interview and committee deliberation. (Author/MLW)

A study investigated the relationship between undergraduate admissions selectivity at 40 research universities and academic rigor of course examination questions, as determined by the level of understanding required. Results suggest that more selective institutions do not provide more academically rigorous instruction than less selective ones.…

Twenty highly selective colleges were surveyed to discover the effect on admissibility of a hypothetical high school senior taking a vocational course during the senior year instead of a second advanced placement course. While none would admit the vocational course participant, most would admit his dual-AP-course counterpart. (MSE)

The concept of equal educational opportunity in Germany has been limited by traditions of class rigidity and elitism. Faced with inordinate demand for admission, the German response has been to institute a limited admission policy. Generous financial aid and a policy of unlimited time for study have exacerbated admission pressures. (MLW)

Based on the assumption that more affluent colleges can attract more able students, a study was undertaken to find exceptions to this rule. It looked for affluent colleges that are relatively unselective and less affluent colleges that are selective. The purpose was to understand how college characteristics are related to selectivity. A…

Three alternative strategies for college selection, their associated cost and benefits are described in this study. These include a strict meritocratic procedure, a minority quota procedure and a disadvantaged quota procedure. The strict meritocratic procedure was operationalized in terms of predicted probability of success; the minority quota…

Equations for the prediction of college grades from test scores and high school grades were compared for Mexican-Americans and other students at three universities of the California State University and Colleges system. With rare exceptions, regression equations for the prediction of grades for Mexican-Americans did not differ from those for other…